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Show Me the Monet

“Show Me the Monet”
According to literaryterms.net, the definition of satire is “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices.” In deciding whether something is satire or not, I think to myself if it is making fun of a person or idea and believe that its purpose is more than entertainment or humor. Usually the characteristics include humor, irony, and exaggeration, even though only one is needed for it to count as satire.
 In Banksy’s Show Me the Monet, he recreated Monet’s Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies almost identically. Monet’s work which represents a tranquil pond scene, does not really differ from Banksy, except for the fact that there are two shopping carts and a traffic cone in the water. To establish this as satire, there must be humor, irony, or exaggeration. While I do not see irony, there is humor and exaggeration present. One thing that makes this piece humorous, or at least absurd, is the shopping carts. If you were to take a walk in a park, it would not be natural to see shopping carts in the pond. For example, I would laugh and wonder how they got there in the first place. When there is exaggeration in a piece, the author is probably criticizing something, which in Banksy’s case, would be consumerism. I noticed the tone in this piece is critical, as he is condemning consumerism, and how focused society is on material possessions in order to fulfill our desires. I would say this piece is successful because of the way it made me think not only of the satire, but the meaning behind it, and possible reasons why.

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